The Avengers Clobbers Dark Shadows As It Approaches $100 Million Second Weekend

If you thought The Avengers was finished setting records after its enormous $200 million domestic premiere last weekend, you've clearly underestimated Joss Whedon and his band of heroes. Early box office estimates from Friday have The Avengers making $29 million, which puts it on track not just to beat the second-weekend record of $75 million held by Avatar and The Dark Knight, but to cross the hallowed mark of a $100 million second weekend.

A lot of people have been speculating for a week now that $100 million was in reach, but the $29 million on Friday-- in addition to presumably bigger Saturday and Sunday grosses from matinees-- puts it well within reach. Meanwhile, Dark Shadows is completing wilting in the shadow of The Avengers. According to the numbers at Deadline, the Johnny Depp-Tim Burton collaboration opened to $10.5 million on Friday, including a meager $550,000 from midnight screenings. That puts it on track for $28 million for the weekend domestically, and with not a whole lot of heat overseas either. Audiences have also given the film a B- CinemaScore, which pales in comparison to The Avengers's sterling A+.

Compare that Dark Shadows opening to the $116 million Burton and Depp made on Alice in Wonderland when it debuted in 2010, and you can sense just how big a disappointment this is. Of course, Dark Shadows was never going to make Alice-sized numbers, and the fact that Burton and Depp got anyone to see a movie based on a cult 60s soap opera is kind of amazing in and of itself. But at some point Warner Bros. thought Dark Shadows could compete against The Avengers in its second weekend, and now we learn just how wrong they were.

We'll have full weekend numbers to you on Sunday, and you'd better believe we'll keep a close eye on whether The Avengers crosses that huge $100 million milestone. In the meantime, jump in the comments and let us know what you're seeing this weekend!